Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-21
HUMAN SLEUTHS.
Clever Work Done by New York's
LyDx.Eyed Deis ctiyes-Eyery
Nan Specialist
10 q Stafi OF Forty Uoder shTeWd Insps ctor
bsrnes-story of Meinecke's
Capture.
New York Morning Journal.

J financial crimes; the stern visaged, pow
erfully built man hunter, who is at home
] in the haunts OF the most dangerous
criminals, and whose prey is muir ierers,
burglars and robbers; the dapper lounger,
who, standing on 8 Broadway Car, or
strollipg through the fashionable stores,
spots pickpockets or confidence men, and
the elegantly dressed you1gster, who
passes readily for q club exquisite, and
who attends more balls and receptions
than any other man in New York, without
exciting the slightest suspicion that he is
present in an C11cial capacity, and that
tie safety of the ladies' diamonds de,
pencs on him, are one and all encour-
aged to excel eacn other in his particular
line.
When the news of the horrible murder
Of the Chinese restaurant keeper, Chang
Ong, on November 2 1885, reached head
quarters, Dig Owen Haley was picked cut
as a man able TO follow the murderer's
trail TO the worlds end, II need be. Haley
is The Colossus Of the corps. Over six
feet high, hrosd-chested, long-legged, as
gentle as child and as brave as a lion,
he would have made an ideal cowboy had
not fate ordsined that he should be S
still better detective.
| The crime was peculiarly atrocious
one. Chang ODg, or Antonio Soloa, as
he was better known, for he had spent the
greater part Of his life in Havana, and
was as mach Cuban IS Celestial, kept 8
| little basement restaurant on the south
east corner Of Spring AID Wooster
streets. The place WAS resorCed to 81
most exclusively by the Cuban cigar
makers who worked in the neighboring
factories.
Az O'Clock in the afternoon, in plain
view OF the stores, where hundreds o.
people we're every minute passing by, ne
was etruck down by en assassin, who, sf
ter mengling the body of his victim in the
most ferocious fashion and robbing the
| til! Of the small amount of money which
| it contained, fed without leaving the
slightest cleW to his Identity.
! Haley was on the spot before the muir
! dered mans body vas cold, and made
careful notes OF all the surroundings.
The tables were all spread and neatly
| furnished with knives and forks and
glassware, food was on the range in the
kitchen, and every tbiog went to show
that Soloe had been busy preparing for
the tide of custom thai flowed 10 HE
place st dinner time.
The proprietor's body lay between q
table and lounge placed against the
wall. It vas mauglen in the most fright
| ful manner, the head being battered TO 4
pulp and the body pierced by more thar
dCzeu slabs. Beside the body lay a
long carving knife Teekiug with blood and
i bent like bow, showing the blind fe-
rocit with which it had been welded.
The empty till WAS stained with blood
end some bloody water in basin and
stains on d towel hanging near ehowed
that the murderer had hastily washed his
hands before leaving. There were
splashes o. blood, too, on the door, and
curiouslY enough they were on the out
| side.
One look at the maDgIed body was
enough to convince Haley that the mur-
derer was no white man; no one but 6
| Chinsmsn or negro would ever have used
such unnecessary violence. Among the
CUBAN mulatto patrons of the place Haley
determined to begin his search.
BY chance an important witness was
| found 81 the start. Richard Mana, d
messenger boy, employed at No. 1873
| Wooster street, told the detective tbat at
80 p. N. he had seen the Chinaman run
up The basement steps, followed bY q tall,
dark man, who dragged him down and
| stabbed him in the breast with long
knife. The boy WAS 30 frightened that
he ran away, and said nothing Of what he
| he had seen for several hours.
This was an important clew, and &C
counted fer the blood on the outside OF
the door; but it left Haley almost IS
much in the dark as ever regarding the
| identity of the murderer.
| Accompanied by the boy Marz. Haley
patiently traced up sll the regular custo-
mers OF the saloon and visited ell the
cigar stores where Cubans were en-
ployed, both in New York snd Brooklyn.
During this search he became possessed
Of photograph Of q group Of Cuban
| revolutlonists, most Of whom were
mulatto clgsrmakers. In the background
stood tall mulstto, who lowered head
and shoulders over his comrades. The
boy, on being shown the picture, in
stantly pointed to the tall figure, and eI-
claimed, "That's the manw
Here Ct last was q ray OF hope, and
Haley redoubled his exertions to find the
tai mulstto. On November 20, Haley
showed the picture to the proprietor of q
cigar factory ct No Isl Pearl street, who
Immediately recognized IL as the portrait
VI ulhA uoiuC0 suOu
! working in the factory. Rateu was sent
for and was st once identified b; the boy
He stoutly denied that he had ever known
Soloa or had ever been in his place, and
declared that on the day of the murder he
had been at work in Brooklyn.
The next day Justice Dutfy held him for
trial.
While following up the cese Haley
learned that Soloa bad formerly lived
with G. German woman named Susan
Westridge, in Cathsrine street. The wo-
man was found after long search ct No.
II PelI street. She told Haley that al
most year before the murder Rstell at
tempted to kill; Soloa With dagger, but
was disarmed by several Cinnamon who
came to their countryman's rescue. This
dagger was subsequently found in the
murdered mans trunk, and was identi-
fed by the woman.
On another occasion, when Solos went
to Ratell's house to collect money due
for meals at his restaurant, Ratell threw
him down stairs.
These facts were brought out on the